1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotor for a spinning reel which is rotatably mounted to a reel unit of a spinning reel and which winds fishing line around a spool that can move back and forth.
2. Background Information
A rotor for a spinning reel having a fishing line guide portion on only one rotor arm thereof (hereinafter referred to as a “bail-less type rotor”) has been known in, as seen in for example Japanese Design Registration No. 568528 (hereinafter referred to as “'528 Design”) and 1982 Daiwa General Catalog, pp. 20-21, published by Daiwa Seiko Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Daiwa Catalog”). A conventional bail-less type rotor for a spinning reel includes a rotor unit that is rotatably mounted on a reel unit, and a fishing line guide portion that is mounted on the rotor unit so that it can pivot between a line-releasing posture and a line-winding posture.
The rotor unit has a body portion that is rotatably mounted on the reel unit, and first and second arms that extend forward from the rear end portions of the outer periphery of the body portion. As is clear from the figure on the left side view in the '528 Design, both rotor arms are positioned at substantially symmetrical positions relative to the rotational axis of the rotor.
The fishing line guide portion includes a support member that is mounted so as to be pivotable between a first rotor arm line-releasing posture (shown in the '528 Design) and a first rotor arm line-winding posture (shown in the Daiwa Catalog), a stationary shaft, a line roller, and a stationary shaft cover. As is clear from the figure on the left side view in the '528 Design, the support member is configured such that the pivot axis thereof crosses with the rotational axis of the rotor. The tip of the support member is disposed further outward than the pivot axis. Thus, the fishing line guide portion that includes the support part that is disposed such that it has a significant tilt with respect to the first rotor arm. The base end of the stationary shaft is mounted to the tip of the support member. The line roller is rotatably mounted on the stationary shaft, and can guide the fishing line. The stationary shaft cover is formed such that it is tapered toward the tip thereof, and extends in the same direction as the axis of the stationary shaft.
With a spinning reel having a bail-less type rotor configured in this manner, the fishing line guide portion is pivoted to the line-releasing posture when casting, and as the fishing line guide portion is grasped with the fingers of the hand not holding the fishing rod and returned to the line-winding posture after casting, the fishing line will be grasped and hooked onto the line roller. This allows the fishing line to be wound onto the spool when the rotor is rotated in the line winding direction.
With the aforementioned conventional configuration, because the first and second rotor arms are disposed in substantially symmetrical positions relative to the rotational axis of the rotor, the rotational balance of the rotor would be maintained if this was the entire configuration. However, because the fishing line guide portion is tilted severely outward from the tip of the first rotor arm, when the rotor is rotated in the line winding direction, the rotational balance of the rotor will worsen, and it will be difficult to rotate the rotor smoothly.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved rotor of a spinning reel that overcomes the problems discussed above. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.